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Nearly 330 people aged between 20 and 24 died from self-harm in the UK in 2013, data from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at Washington University found.

Road traffic accidents were the leading cause of death for those aged between 10 and 19, with 313 teenagers dying in the same period, the data showed.

Meanwhile, drug use killed 283 people aged between 15 and 24 in 2013 - a 36 per cent rise from 1990.

This generation of young people can transform all our futures. There is no more pressing task in global health than ensuring they have the resources to do soProfessor George Patton

The data led to a Lancet Commission calling for societies around the globe to pay more attention to their young residents, which account for nearly a quarter of the world's population.

In a report published at the same time as the data, the Commission claimed adolescents and young adults have been "overlooked" by health policies as it argued that this generation should be the healthiest ever.

The report's lead author, Professor George Patton, of the University of Melbourne, Australia, claimed that addressing global health is the most pressing task facing societies.

He said: "This generation of young people can transform all our futures. There is no more pressing task in global health than ensuring they have the resources to do so."

Globally, the IHME analysis revealed that HIV and Aids, road traffic accidents, and drowning caused a quarter of deaths in 10 to 14 year olds in 2013.

Road traffic accidents, self-harm and violence were the leading causes of death for those aged between 15 and 24.

These are the ages when new and different health problemsLancet Commission report

Depression resulted in the largest amount of ill health worldwide in 2013, affecting more than 10 per cent of young adults.

The fastest-growing risk factor for ill health in young people was unsafe sex while alcohol remained the world’s leading risk factor for those in their early 20s.

The Commission's report claimed the reason for poor well-being in young adults could be because of societies "promoting unhealthy lifestyles and commodities".

Other reasons included a rise in youth unemployment, less family stability, armed conflict and migration.

The report said: "Better childhood health and nutrition, extensions to education, delays in family formation and new technologies offer the possibility of this being the healthiest generation of adolescents ever.

"But these are also the ages when new and different health problems related to the onset of sexual activity, emotional control and behaviour typically emerge."

The Commission suggested better education systems, reducing gender inequality and improving knowledge about food and nutrition would help improve the health and well-being of young adults and adolescents.